Last month, ESPORG had a chance to sit down with Tony Hermans, propagandist for BTB-ABVV, the Belgian trade union which represents all workers from the maritime sectors, dockers, workers in airport handling, in freight and passenger transport and in logistics to negotiate for social benefits in those sectors. This particular interview focused on workers from transport and logistics, specifically drivers.
ESPORG: First off, tell me a little about yourself, your background and your organisation.
Tony: I’ve been a driver since 1986 and have driven both in Belgium and internationally. In June 2020 I switched from being a driver to working for BTB-ABVV as a propagandist. My job is to communicate both with drivers and employers about the concerns of the daily job: health, safety, wages, etc. I also negotiate with managers, visit parking areas, do road shows, and teach about payment and labor conditions. I love being on the road and being with people and I believe in the values of BTB-ABVV.
Drivers as we know it are an endangered species. When we unite as drivers, we are strong. A union is there to help and unite people. When we negotiate and we know every driver is a member (of our organisation), they have to take us seriously.
ESPORG: What do you think are the most pressing problems in the industry today?
Tony: The current road transport industry, is completely broken. Just in time delivery—when everything goes well, it’s nice, when something in the chain is broken everything is broken. Companies don’t have warehouses anymore. Goods are always on the roads, but there are hick ups and companies break down.
Drivers are completely undervalued and not appreciated. There’s this stereotype of a “dirty, bad driver” which is completely ridiculous. We have to bring humanity back to the profession.
ESPORG: What initiatives have you been working on to address those problems?
Tony: One of the most important initiatives is safe rates. We want to make transport livable again and treat every employee like a human. There’s absolutely no reason to not have fair pay in road transport. Doing your job has to be in a decent, respectable way.
That’s a human behind the wheel of a truck, not something you can just use today and throw away tomorrow. We have to take care of the wellbeing of every driver. When drivers are satisfied behind the wheel, they perform better. We have to value each other and respect each other.
We have also worked on and with the Mobility Package to ensure fair laws and conditions for drivers across Europe.
[In working with ESPORG’s wellbeing campaign], we also want to change the perspective around drivers. We want to show the world that the driver is a human being. Decent wages and covering the costs that are covered in every other industry like hotel accommodations and food—these drivers are away from home for a long time and yet we do not compensate for that. This is another reason we find the safe rate initiative so vital.
In addition, we have to have penalisations for driving with terrible (and fraudulent) companies and ensure legitimate, fair transport across Europe. No more opportunities for fraudulent licenses. Tachographs have to be used correctly. Legal, safe driving according to the rules has to happen. In this way, we bring quality to the profession and that is what counts. When we can improve the quality of the profession, people will be interested in the job again.
To learn more about BTB-ABVV, please visit their website.
To learn more about the safe rate initiative, click here.
Finally, to learn more about the Wellbeing Pledge, for which BTB-ABVV is a signatory, click here.
